1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a media reader for removable digital storage media, such as memory cards for digital cameras. More specifically, the present invention concerns a structure for a media reader having a media reading unit, a communication interface, a manual manipulation unit, and a controller arranged within a housing such that the structure provides for ease of manipulation and operation, while at the same time reducing the overall size of the media reader.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital photography has become popular in recent times and as a result, the use of digital cameras to record images has become increasingly prevalent. Many digital cameras utilize a removable storage medium, such as a flash card or a memory stick, to store the recorded images. When the memory capacity of the storage medium has been fully utilized, the user generally transfers the digital images to another medium. For instance, the user may want to upload the images stored on the camera's storage medium to a hard-drive on a personal computer or to some other type of medium such as a CD-ROM. Moreover, the user may want to print hardcopy printouts of the recorded images utilizing, for example, a photo quality printer. Various techniques for accomplishing each of the foregoing have been known.
By way of example, it has been known to upload images from a digital camera to a personal computer by, for example, connecting the digital camera directly to the personal computer utilizing, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable. With this arrangement, when the camera is connected to the personal computer, operating system software in the personal computer generally recognizes the camera as a generic “Removable Drive”. To upload the images, the user can click on an icon for the “Removable Drive” and scan through various directories and folders until file icons for each of the stored images appear. The user can then either upload selected image files or all of the image files to the personal computer by performing a common “cut and paste” operation.
While the foregoing process achieves the desired result, it is, of course, not without its drawbacks. One such drawback is that, while the camera is being utilized to upload the stored images, the camera is unavailable for the user to take additional photos. Another drawback is that it requires rather significant manual operation by the user to complete the upload process. That is, the user has to perform several operations such as clicking on a “My Computer” icon, clicking on a “Removable Drive” icon, clicking on a “Still Images” icon, selecting the still images to be uploaded or clicking on a “Select All” icon, clicking on a “Cut” or “Copy” icon, scanning through the directories on the personal computer to find the directory into which the digital images are to be uploaded to, clicking on the selected directory or folder, and finally, clicking on a “Paste” icon, in order for the digital images to be uploaded.
Another example is a printer that includes one or more slots for inserting the removable storage medium. In somewhat more detail, some photo quality printers include slots for inserting the removable storage medium from the digital camera directly into the printer. Once the storage medium is inserted into the printer, the user can perform an operation at the printer to printout hardcopies of the images on the printer. While this type of printer provides added capabilities for users to be able to print out digital images without the need for a personal computer, the user nonetheless has to navigate through a series of steps on a display of the printer. Moreover, the user's ability to utilize the printer's direct medium reading capabilities, the user must utilize a digital camera that has the same type of storage medium for which the printer is designed to accommodate. That is, most printers that include a slots for inserting storage medium can only accept one or two particular types of storage medium. As a result, in order to utilize the printer's capabilities, the user must have a digital camera that is compatible with the printer. Thus, if the user purchases a digital camera that is incompatible with the printer, they would need to bear the expense of a new printer in order to utilize the printer's direct reading capabilities.
One technique to address the foregoing has been proposed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/895,186 (hereinafter referred to as the “'186 application) entitled “Printer-Based Interface With Removable Digital Storage Media”, filed on Jul. 2, 2001. In the '186 application, a basic architecture and associated software components are described whereby, when a storage medium from a digital camera is installed in a reader and a user presses a button on the reader to perform, for example, a printing operation, software corresponding to the printing operation in a personal computer connected to the reader is automatically launched. The software then performs various operations such as retrieving image files stored on the storage medium and prints the images on a printer connected to the personal computer. Thus, the user can have digital images uploaded and/or printed without having to connect the digital camera to the personal computer, and without having to navigate numerous process steps to complete the process. While the '186 application defines a basic architecture and functionality of a media reader, the present invention expands on the '186 application's invention by providing a more optimum structure for a media reader.